Vehicle-top.



c. B. COLLINS & J. T. H. PATERSON.

VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I6. 1915.

Patented 10%. 12, l916.-

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. B. COLLINS & J. T. H. PATERSON.

VEHICLE TOP. APPLICATION man JULY I6, 1915.

SHEETS-$HEET 2.

. Patentd Dec.12, 1916.

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C. B. COLLINS & J. T. H. PATERSON.

VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATlON HLED JULY 16. ms.

Patented 10430.12, 1916;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

CAP B. COLLINS, 0F DES MOINE-S, IOWA, AND JOHN T. H. PA'IERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, T9116.

Application filed. July 16, 1915. Serial No. 40,263.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CAP B. GoLLiNs and JOHN T. H. PATERsoN, citizens of the United States, respectively residing at Des Moines, in the county of Folk and State of Iowa and at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tops, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in collapsible vehicle tops and more particularly to a top adapted for use in connection with the so called open type of automobile body.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide a collapsible vehicle top supported upon a single rigid standard, readily demountable to permit collapsing of the top for storing away.

Another object is the provision of such a top in which the bracing and fabric supporting members are all positioned close to the under side of the top so as not to obstruct the vision of the occupants in the car.

Still other objects of our invention are the provision ofra collapsible top easily extended or collapsed, of sturdy and rigid construction, having relatively few movable parts and adapted to withstand the severe and exacting service to which motor car accessories are subjected.

Other and furtherobjects will become ap parent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description and drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor car showing our improved top in extended position. Fig. '2 is a horizontal sectional view through the standard on' line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the under side of our top when extended. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the top in extended position. Fig. 4: is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the upper portion of the standard with the top collapsed. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig.

4i showing the'lower portion of the top when in collapsed position. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the under side of one of the extensible ribs in the position shown in Fig. 4:. Fig. 7 is .a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the top head with the ribs ext-ended.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view on the line 9--9 of Fig. 3. Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view on the line 101O of Fig. 3. Fig. 11 is a transverse section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 3. Fig. 12 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line '1212 of Fig. 7; and, Fig. 18 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View on the line 1313 of Fig. 5.

In general the structure comprises an upright standard or support adapted to be detachably secured to the automobile body and from the upper end of which radiates a plurality of extensible arms or ribs upon which the fabric of the top is supported and stretched.

The outer telescoping end section of each of the ribs is pivotally connected to the outer end of a strut or brace rod, the inner end of which is pivotally connected with a collar slidable upon the upright. A second slidable collar is provided with radiating struts also connected. with the ribs. When the collars are forced upwardly upon the post the ribs are extended. and the top securely braced in its extended position.

Referring to the particular exemplification of our invention illustrated in the drawings the numeral 20 indicates a tubular post or standard projecting upwardly from the tonneau of a motor car 21 directly at the rear of the drivers seat. A head comprising two oval plates 23, 2e secured together by means of the screws 25 is carried on the upper end of the post and is secured thereon by means of a downwardly extending plug 22 carried by the plate 23 and fastened within the post by the transverse pin 45. Rods 26, forming the inner members of the telescoping ribs indicated in general by the numeral 27, are pivotally mounted on the pins 28 between the two plates 23 and 24.. The rods 26, a short distance from their inner ends, are formed into U-shaped inverted channels 29, formed throughout an intermediate portion thereof with outwardly extending lips or flanges 30. The extensible member of the rib comprises a U-shaped channel 31 fitting within the channel 29, projecting beyond the outer end thereof. as at 32, and at its extreme end flattened out to form a leaf spring 33. This leaf spring 33 is reinforced by a second leaf 34.-

as best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6. The inner end of the channel 31 is guided within thechannel 29 by means of a surrounding collar 35 carried on the channel 29. A stirrup 36 surrounds the outer end of the channel 29 and is pivoted at its under side to a strut rod 37 which, closing the stirrup 36 as it does, serves as an additional guide for the channel 31.

The top fabric or cover 38 is secured to the ribs at the extreme ends 39 of the leaf springs, being stretched over the downwardly bowed ends thereof as illustrated in Fig. 3 when the top is extended. A lipped slide 40 engages the outwardly extending flanges of the intermediate section of the channel 29 and is freely slidable between the collar and the stirrup 36. A perforation'is provided in the center of the slide through which projects a flat tab 41 which projects into the channel 31 and is secured thereto by any suitable means as for example the rivets indicated in dotted lines at Fig. 11. To the lower end of the tab 41 is pivotally connected on the bolt 42 a strut rod 43 which, when the top is elevated, lies close to the underside thereof and extends the slide way with the telescoping channel outwardly to the position indicated in Fig. 3.

A short tube 44 surrounds the upper end of the tubularpost 20 and is secured thereto by means of the transverse pin 45. A col- 'lar 46 slidable on the tube 44 carries at its is threaded as at 52, for engagement with the internally threaded sleeve 53 which in 7 turn is rotatively connected with the lower plate 51 secured to the head 50. A tangential pin 54 passes through the lower end of the plate 51 and engages a groove in the upper end of the collar 53 preventing axial separation of the two parts but permitting independent relative rotation thereof.

The upper end of the collar 49 is provided with jaws 55 which engage corresponding .recesses 56 in the lower end of collar 46 so that when the same are slid in approximate relation to each other screwing up on the collar 53, will not permit independent rotation of the collars upon the tubular member 44. In order that the upper collar 46 may likewise be prevented from rotation independent of the post we have elongated the pin 45 so as to project outwardly beyond the tubular member 44 for engagement with slots 57 provided at diametrically opposite points on the upper end of the collar 46.

From the above description it will be obvious that when the two collars 46 and 49, are slid upwardly into position, and secured by means of the threaded collar 53. as indicated in Fig. 3, the strut rods 43 and 37 will be extended outwardly, the latter bracing the top and the former sliding the movable channel 31 outwardly stretching the fabric cover 38 over the downbowed ends of the leaf springs 33, thus holding the covering rigid and taut over the structure.

Unscrewing the collar 53 permits downward movement of the collars 49 and 46., and a corresponding inward movement of the top extending members, thus folding the structure up into a compact bundle which may be readily stowed away at any convenient place on the machine.

Whereas we have illustrated and described a single embodiment of our invention it is obvious that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In a structure of the character described the combination of a standard, ribs radiating from the upper end thereof and pivotally connected therewith, an extension slidably connected with each rib, a covering secured at its edge to the outward ends of said extensions, a set of rods pivotally connected with the ribs, and a second set pivotally connected with said extensions, a collar for the inner ends of each set of rods, said collars being slidable on the standard, and means for securing said collars to hold the rods in extended position.

2. In a structure of the character described, the combination with a standard, of ribs radiating from the upper end thereof and pivotally connected therewith, an extension slidably connected with each rib, a covering secured at its edge to the outward ends of said extensions, a set of rods pivotally connected with the ribs and a second set pivotally connected with the said extensions, a collar for the inner ends of each set of rods, said collars being slidable 0n the standard, inter-engaging means carried by said collars for preventing independent 1'0- tation thereof, means for preventing rotation of one of said collars with respect to the standard, and means for securing said collars in position on the standard when the rods are extended.

3. In a structure of the character described the combination of a tubular standard, a head having a projecting part extending within the upper end of said standard, a pin extending through said standard and projection for securing the head in place,

ribs radiating from the said head and pivotally connected therewith, a cover secured at its edge to the outward ends of said ribs, a tubular section surrounding said standard and secured thereto by means of the aforesaid pin, rods carried by said ribs for holding the same in extended position, a collar surrounding the standard and slidable over the aforesaid tubular section, and to Which the inner ends of said rods are pivotally connected, the upper end of said collar being slotted for engagement with the projecting ends of the aforesaid pin, and means engaging said tubular member for locking the collar in its uppermost position.

4. In a structure of the character described the combination ofa standard, a series of radially disposed ribs pivoted to the upper end of said standard, rods pivoted to In testimony whereof We hereunto set our hands.

CAP B. COLLINS. JOHN T. H. PATERSUN.

Witnesses for Cap B. Collins:

C. A. YOUNG, J. H. ORosBY. Witnesses for John T. H. Paterson:

STANLEY W. COOK, MARY F. ALLEN.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

